Schoolgirl Sampler Show and Tell

The end of the year is fast approaching. I thought the other day -- just seven more weeks of craziness, and my schedule will calm down for December. And then the end of the year is here. I don't want to wish the time to go faster, so I'll enjoy those seven weeks of craziness.

It also means the year-long classes are ending, and I haven't kept up with the show and tell. So today, it's all about Show and Tell for the Schoolgirl Sampler. 

There are loads of sampler quilts out there. Sometimes, the designer makes the blocks, and for others, the designer has used traditional blocks. Schoolgirl Sampler is made up of traditional blocks, but the challenge for this quilt was the small block size  - they finish at 4". There are 72 of them in the quilt, and I'm happy to report that all my blocks are done. 

Let's see what the others did this past month. 

Here's the book in case you haven't seen it before. 

Schoolgirl Sampler

The first set of blocks belong to Anne. A lovely soft palette of greens, pinks, and beige. 

Anne

Here is her quilt, minus the center block, which is applique. 

Anne's quilt

Barb has used a monochromatic palette of browns. 

Barb

Cathie has gone for the blues, which touches of green added. 

Cathie

Here are more of her blocks, and I think she was auditioning sashing as well. 

Cathie

Another choice for the sashing color. 

Cathie

Here are her blocks to date. They look awesome!!!

Cathie's quilt

Lucy's quilt is black and white, which looks lovely and far from the original coloring. She has also decided to make it larger and has completed additional blocks. 

Lucy

I love the book that she made to keep her blocks in order. We had to cut nine blocks each month, and it's hard to keep all those pieces straight. So she created a mini design board book. She took an artist watercolor book with thick pages and glued a piece of felt to each one. Then her block pieces sit nicely in the book without falling out. 

Lucy's design book

A watercolor book used as a design board

I am not that organized. I would cut out all nine blocks for the month and put them in a nice pile (by block, of course) on one of my larger portable design boards, and from there, I'd sew them together. I love how we all come up with solutions that work for all of us!

Morgan is going completely rogue with her color choices. I can't wait to see this one come together! 

Morgan

Ruth has a gorgeous palette of pink and blue. That burgundy sashing (which is teeny tiny) brings it all together. 

Ruth

Sharon has some of her rows together and is auditioning fabrics for the center block. 

Sharon

The last set belongs to Zildi, who is using scraps leftover from another project. 

Zildi

Wow -- I can't wait to see all those quilts come together. WAIT -- where's mine?? 

Here are all my blocks!  What a nice feeling it was to get all 72 of them together. All of the fabric came from the teal scrap box. I know -- that's pretty sad to have a teal scrap box. OH -- I should say that the lighter backgrounds that you see were purchased. I was running out of contrast fabric, so I had to buy some. Yes -- I had to buy it -- I had nothing in my stash that worked. 

My blocks

It's incredible how the rows shrink up when you start sewing them together, even though the sashing has also been added. 

The rows shrink when sewn together

Look how cute those blocks are! 

The sashing on the front

And look how neat the back of the quilt is. Yep -- if you know how to press correctly and construct the sashing/block combo properly, the back can be as attractive as the front - well, almost. I will say this is something that is lacking in methods I see in books and patterns today! It drives me nuts, so I just putter and do my own thing, which makes me happy. 

The back of the quilt with the sashing sewn in

Here is my quilt. There are currently four sections, and once the center block is finished, I can get the center together and work on the borders. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? 

My version of Schoolgirl Sampler

I will say that I've done a great job at keeping up with the classes this year. I still have borders to put on, and some quilts need to be assembled, and in some instances, the last series of blocks need to be sewn. But it was a huge task as I had Long Time Gone, Bonnie and Camille Bee Quilt, Urbanologie, Schoolgirl Sampler, All in a Row (three quilts in that one and a bit behind), and Tula Pink! Six pretty intense quilts, and I'm close to finishing most of them. Never mind all the other projects that I did, plus all the work with the sewing and embroidery classes. Phew!!!  

While some projects are winding down with the big reveal happening in November, two new ones are starting, and I'd better get my act together if I want to stay on top of those!!

I completed a LOT of paperwork yesterday, plus two presentations, and I drove my MIL to physio. Instead of hanging around to wait for her, I went for a walk! One has to make good use of their time, and it was good that I did because I didn't get a chance for any other walk and just eeked out my daily goal of 11.5 KM. 

Remember the double wedding ring quilt that I was making for a student of mine that passed? Well, the daughter asked me to finish the quilt. She came by last night to pick it up, and I received the most beautiful thank you card ever!! It was a challenge to put that quilt together, but I know that Paula would be thrilled if she were around. And in four days, it'll be the 2nd anniversary of her passing, and I know that the daughter will be wrapped in that quilt. She also loved the tote bag, so I'm super glad that I made it. 

On that note, I'm off to get the day started. More presentations, a meeting, and two pieces of paperwork need to be done ASAP. I might just make it!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!